The 1976 National League was contested as the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom having been renamed from the previous season's moniker of New National League.

Summary

The league was reduced from 20 teams down to 18, following the loss of three teams and gain of one.

Birmingham Brummies Birmingham Brummies are a British speedway team founded in 1928. They were inaugural members of the Southern League in 1929. The team have twice finished runner-up in the highest tier of British speedway, during the 1952 Speedway National Lea ...

moved up to the

British League The British League was the main motorcycle speedway league in Britain from its formation in 1965 until 1995 when British speedway was restructured. It initially had a single division, with a second division starting in 1968 (which was renamed the ...

and

Bradford Barons Bradford Barons were a motorcycle speedway team based at Odsal Stadium in Odsal, Bradford, from 1974 to 1975.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''. History 1974 saw yet another name change with Bradford Barons replaci ...

and

Crewe Kings The Crewe Kings was a British Speedway team which operated in Crewe, Cheshire from 1969 until its closure in 1975. History The team first competed in 1969 promoted by Maury Littlechild for Allied Presentations who also promoted the Rayleigh Ro ...

both closed down. Sadly for Crewe the team would never return. The additional team was the

Oxford Cheetahs The Oxford Cheetahs are a British speedway teamLawson,K (2018) “Riders, Teams and Stadiums”. based at Oxford Stadium, in Oxford, England. They were founded in 1939 and are five times champions of Britain, in 1964, 1985, 1986, 1989 and ...

, who had returned to their traditional name following a three year period known as the Oxford Rebels. The Rebels team and promoters had moved to White City during the winter but Oxford were saved by new promoters

Harry Bastable Harry Bastable is a former international motorcycle speedway rider and promoter. Career summary Harry Bastable's was a novice at the Alan Hunt 1949 winter training school when he was signed up by Cradley Heath Heathens. For experience he ...

and Tony Allsop after a committee of fans had created a "Save Our Stadium" campaign over the previous winter.

Newcastle Diamonds Newcastle Diamonds were a motorcycle speedway team that raced in the SGB Championship, every Sunday night during the season (March–October) from their home at the Newcastle Stadium on the Fossway, Byker. The Stadium, previously known as Broug ...

comfortably won their first

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

title, completing a cup double, and dropping only seven points. The Owen brothers

Joe Owen Joseph William Owen (born 13 September 1956) is a British former motorcycle speedway rider from England. Career Born in Ormskirk, Owen took up speedway at the age of fourteen at the training school at Belle Vue and made his competitive debut f ...

and Tom Owen topped the averages for the second consecutive year. Joe finished with an 11+ average and won the

British League Division Two Riders Championship The British League Division Two Riders Championship was a speedway contest between the top riders (or two riders) with the highest average points total from each club competing in the second tier of British speedway. The championship was inaugura ...

and Newcastle completed the league and cup double.

Final table

Top Five Riders

National League Knockout Cup

The 1976 Speedway Star Knockout Cup was the ninth edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams.

were the winners of the competition.

First round

Second round

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

First leg Second leg Newcastle were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 83–72.

References

{{United Kingdom Speedway Seasons Speedway British League Division Two / National League